I suggest having it air-shipped if the total cost of doing so is anywhere near $1000-1500. Even though I live right near the NY port, the handling costs were so huge that surface shipping cost about the same as air freight would have.
My costs were $1084 shipping, plus customs duty of $133.
Broken down as follows : vessel shipping:$342; then $742 of various crappe charges for getting it off the boat and to my shop only 30 miles away (just enjoy some of these fee names!): "import service charge" $55; messenger & courier service $45; "custom entry processing" $95 [broker]; customs bond [US customs]; "warehouse unloading fee" $270; delivery [trucker] $198; "field surcharge" $19.80; customs examination fees $19.47. None of this stuff was negotiable, and of course you don't want your precious top being kicked around by teamsters.
And of course with air freight there's not the protracted anxiety of 3 months of waiting for a $4000 item to arrive from Africa!
